Bootle Canoe & Outdoor Club CIC

Five days. An incredible line-up. Thousands of people. And a brilliant example of what can happen when local organisations work together. ❤️
As the final notes of Salt & Tar fade away, we just wanted to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who made this year’s festival such a success.
A special thank you to Sefton Council, who deliver Salt & Tar and particularly the Hospitality Team - Yates & of course Finesilver - the whole team. It’s been a pleasure working alongside you to animate the canal side and create something really special for Bootle.
We’ve been running festivals down here at Lock and Quay for 10 years. Over that time we’ve learned, adapted and honed the space - figuring out what works, how people move through it and, most importantly, how to create that perfect festival vibe.
And we’ve loved hearing so many people say how much they enjoyed it! 😍
That’s something we’re incredibly proud of. Lock & Quay is community owned and not-for-profit, and every event we host helps support a community asset that exists for the benefit of local people and the wider Bootle community.
We were also delighted to work alongside our good friends at Scrapyard Studios CIC, another brilliant local CIC, who brought grassroots and emerging talent to the VIP stage and busking zones. Giving local artists a platform alongside some of the biggest names in music is exactly the kind of collaboration we love.
And what a five days it was - culminating in Nile Rodgers closing the party. 🎶🔥
Huge respect too to the hardworking Salt & Tar crew and our own Lock and Quay team. Festivals look effortless from the outside, but they take an enormous amount of graft, organisation, teamwork and good humour behind the scenes!
Most of all, this week has shown what we can achieve when community organisations, CICs and the council work in partnership, bringing our different strengths, experience and assets together.
There’s a lot of talk about partnership working. This is what it looks like when it works.
So… what else could we achieve together? 👀

☀️ Saturday Community Paddle Returns! 🛶

As our popular Golden Hour Paddle sessions come to an end for the year, we’re returning to our regular Saturday morning community paddles!

Join Bootle Canoe & Outdoor Club on Saturday 22nd August 2026 as part of Day 1 of the BUFF Festival, and enjoy a relaxed paddle along the Leeds & Liverpool Canal.

📍 Meeting Point: Lock & Quay Pub
🕥 Time: 10:00am arrival | 10:30am launch

What to Expect

🛶 Relaxed, guided community paddle
💚 Friendly, welcoming atmosphere
♻️ Optional canal litter pick to help keep our waterways clean

We’ll Provide

✔ Canoes
✔ Buoyancy aids
✔ Qualified instructors
✔ All safety equipment

Just dress for the weather and bring your community spirit! ☀️🌦️

⚠️ To give as many families as possible the chance to get on the water, we can’t accept bookings for groups larger than 4 people. Larger group bookings may be declined.

🔗 Booking link will open at 6pm! 👀

https://bookwhen.com/bootlecanoeclub

Have Questions?

📩 Message us on Facebook
📧 [email protected]

💚 Paddle. Explore. Connect. Give back.

‼️ IMPORTANT UPDATE ‼️

If you spotted our booking link for the next paddle… 👀

We’ve had to remove it as it was published before the event had been fully confirmed with our instructors.

🛶 Don’t worry – the paddle is still going ahead!

We’ll be sharing the official event details and a new booking link this weekend once everything has been finalised.

📢 Updated Booking Information

To give as many people as possible the chance to enjoy our free community paddles, we’re unable to accept bookings for groups or parties of more than 4 people.

If larger group bookings are made, we may need to amend or cancel them so that more families and members of the community have the opportunity to take part.

Thank you for your understanding and for helping us make these sessions accessible to as many people as possible. 💚

‼️‼️ IMPORTANT MESSAGE ‼️‼️

We’ve removed a recent booking page for our next paddle, as it was published in error before the event details had been fully confirmed with instructors.

The event is still planned to go ahead, and we’ll be promoting it properly with a new booking link this weekend once all the details have been finalised.

Keep an eye on our page over the weekend for the official announcement – it’s one you won’t want to miss! ☀️🛶

We apologise for any confusion this may have caused 🙏

📢 Updated booking Information

To give as many people as possible the opportunity to enjoy our free community paddles, we are unable to accept bookings for groups or parties larger than four people.

If larger group bookings are made, we may need to cancel or amend them so that spaces can be shared between more families and members of the community.

Thank you for your understanding and for helping us make these sessions accessible to as many people as possible. 💚